Tourism thrives in border villages in SW China's Yunnan

Daluo township, nestled in Menghai county, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture along the Myanmar border in southwest China's Yunnan Province, is emerging as a vibrant tourist destination.

Five villages in the township have become national scenic areas, including two national 4A-level ones. This March, the township's classic border tourism route was recommended by Menghai county.

"Border tourism is winning increasing popularity, and people in our beautiful villages are enjoying a happier life," said Chen Peng, head of Daluo township.

Photo shows a millennia-old council tree in Manzhang village, Daluo township, Menghai county, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

One of the township's villages, Manzhang village, is home to a millennia-old council tree that is over 50 meters high and 6 meters in diameter at breast height. The tree has become a magnet for tourists.

Over the past years, Manzhang village has actively developed border tourism and rural tourism by taking various measures to protect the ancient tree, improve infrastructure, tap into the culture of the Dai ethnic group, and build a national scenic area.

Zhong Mei, a villager in Manzhang village, earns a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan (about $413.19) to 4,000 yuan working the village's scenic area, receives a year-end bonus, and can still tend to her family's fruit and rubber plantations.

"Thanks to multiple income channels, the average annual income of each household in our village reaches 50,000 yuan," said Yan Yingla, Party chief of Manzhang village.

The official added that the village, which was listed as a national key village for rural tourism in 2021, also introduced programs like experiencing the brocade craftsmanship of the Dai ethnic group to enrich tourists' experiences.

Jinglai village in the township collaborated with a tourism company to build a scenic spot featuring traditional ethnic culture. It deliberately preserved traditional wooden stilt houses of the Dai ethnic group, maintaining the authentic architectural character of Dai culture.

Yu Xianglun, a prefecture-level inheritor of slow-wheel pottery making skills, works on a piece of slow-wheel pottery work in Jinglai village, Daluo township, Menghai county, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Zhang Chi)

Meanwhile, artisans, including Yu Xianglun, are ensuring traditional crafts survive in Jinglai village. At 63, she is a prefecture-level inheritor of slow-wheel pottery making skills, believing that passing on the skills means preserving the way of life of the Dai people.

Today, it's common to see Dai-style pottery products and decorations in Jinglai village, and experiencing slow-wheel pottery making is popular among tourists.

In addition to pottery making, other traditional crafts including Dai brocade, bamboo weaving, paper making, and winemaking have been passed from generation to generation, becoming an integral part of ethnic cultural experiences in the village.

Longli village, which borders Myanmar and once struggled with its remote location and poor infrastructure, now welcomes 400 to 500 tourists daily.

At the end of 2020, a two-way paved road opened to traffic in Longli village. In 2021, the village launched a program to build itself into a modern border village, enhancing people's sense of happiness. Last year, the village cooperated with a tourism company to build a scenic spot.

Yu Kanyue, a 22-year-old villager of Longli village, returned to the village last year. She works in the village's scenic area and runs a coffee shop.

Yu Kanyue, a 22-year-old villager, makes coffee for tourists in Longli village, Daluo township, Menghai county, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Zhang Chi)

"Our village is seeing an increasing number of tourists. Currently, our village receives 20 to 30 tour groups per day," she said.

By October 2024, the three villages in Daluo township had welcomed 406,200 tourist visits, and the number of tourists in Menghai county had increased 24.15 percent year on year.